Nut-tapping machine.



No. 662.965. Patented Dec. 4, |900.

A. H. RIGGS.

NUT TAPPING MACHINE.

(Application filed Feb. 2, 1899. Renewed Oct. 11( 1899.;

(No Model.)

NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ADDISON H. RIGGS, OF OCEAN GROVE, NEW JERSEY.

NuT-,TAPPING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 662,965, dated December 4, 19.

Application filed February 2, 1899. Renewed October l1, 1899. Serial No. 733,326. (No model.)

T0 a/ZZ whom, it may con/007%:

Be itl known that I, ADDISON H. RIGGS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Ocean Grove, in the county of Monmouth and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Nut Tapping Machinos; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to nut-tapping machines; and it has for one object the provision of simple mechanism by means of which nutblanks may be threaded with ease and rapidity and may be automatically fed to and threaded nuts discharged from the tap.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a tap and nut-holderhaving a guide, one of said parts being revoluble with relation to the other, and the parts being so disposed that nuteblanks may be fed automat ically to the tap and threaded nuts automatically discharged therefrom.

A further object of the invention is the provision of means, broadly, whereby the tap is centralized and held in proper position by the work upon which the machine operates. Y

A further object of the invention is the provision of a feed device in connection with the tap, whereby the nut-blanksstrung on said device are automatically and continuously fed to the tap.

A further object of the invention is the pro vision of guides, one of which is revoluble with respect to the other, Aand in which the tap is centralized and supported by the nutblanks fed to and the threaded nuts discharged from said taps.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a revoluble driver for turning the nut-blanks upon the tap and a stationary tap centralized with respect to said driver by the nut-blanks in the guide of the driver, and by the threaded nuts as they pass through another guide and are discharged from the machine.

In the drawings which illustrate an embodiment of the invention, Figure 1 is a side elevation, the nut-blank driver and its bearing being in section and the lower portion of the projecting arm or plate 2, by means of which it may be attached to a bench, ledge, or other support 3. In said frame bearings (designated by the numerals 4 and 5) are formed,and it is also provided with a projecting portion 6, having a guide through which the threaded nuts pass.

The numeral 7 designates in ageneral Way the nut-blank driver formed with a guide 7 of a conguration necessary to conform to that of the nutblank to be threaded, and this driver is in the embodiment illustrated rotatably mounted in the bearing 5 and is driven by a gear 8, which intermeshes with a gearwheel 9 at the inner end of a power-driven shaft. 10, said shaft being journaled in the bearing 4. The walls of the bore of the revoluble driver 7 conform to the shape of the blanks to be threaded and-serve as a guide for said blanks and to engage the same and rotate them upon a tap, (designated by the numeral 11,) and the receiving end of this driver is preferably slightly flared, as at 72, to facilitate the entrance of nut-blanks to the guide 7" formed therein. As illustrated, the revoluble driver 7 is supported in the bearing 5 by the gear 8, which overlaps the upper portion of said bearing; but this is not material, for the driver may be supported in other ways without departure from my invvention.

The numeral ll designates a tap, which may be of any desired construction, and in the embodiment shownis xed with relation to the revoluble driver 7 and is concentrically arranged in the guide 7 of said driver, and the shank 12 of said tap is deflected and enters the guide 13 of the machine-frame,

Fig. 3 is a IOO through which the threaded nuts pass as they are discharged from the shank of the tap, and in this connection it is to be noted that the position of this shank 12, and incidentally of the tap, is xed and regulated by the y threaded nuts strung thereon Within the guide 13 or sleeve 13', applied lto said guide, said sleeve being held in place by a screw 14 or in any other well-known manner. This sleeve 13' is detachable and may be replaced by others having openings of different size and shape and conformable tothe conguration of the nut-blanks to be threaded.

When the machine is in operation, the threaded nuts strung upon the lower deflected portion of the shank 12 of the tap tit snugly within the guide 13 or sleeve 13', if the latter be employed, and serve to steady and flX the position of the tap 11. In the embodiment of my invention illustrated a feed-rod 15, over which the nut-blanks are threaded, is connected to the receiving end of the tap 11, the lower end of said rod being shaped to lit over the reduced terminal 16 of said tap, and said receiving end of the tap is made of tapering form, so that the tap will conform to the size of the feed-rod 15 and ad mit of the free passage of nut-blanks from said rod to the tap in the operation of the machine. This feed-rod may be of any length and may be supported at its upper end in any desired manner, and iu practice, as above stated, the nut-blanks are strung thereon and are fed by gravital action to the tap when the machine is in active operation. vBefore starting the machine either two or more blanks or threaded nuts are slipped upon the lower end of the shank 12 of the tap and are fitted into the guide 13 or sleeve 13', and these nuts or nut-blanks serve to steady and iiX the position of said tap. Blanks to be threaded are then strung upon the feed-rod 15, and motion being imparted to the shaft 10 from any suitable source of power the nutblank driver 7 is rotated and the lowermost nut-blank on the feed-rod entering the guide of saiddriver is turned therewith about the tap 11 andis-internally threaded. This rotation of the driver 11 is continuous as long as the machine is in operation, and the blank to be threaded is caused to travel the full length of the tap and clearing the threaded portion thereof slips upon the shank 12 and enters the guide 13 or sleeve 13', if the latter be inserted in said guide. After the shank 12 has been lilled with threaded nuts the latter are discharged one at a time from said shank and guide 13 or sleeve 13' by the pressure thereon, due to the threading of the nutblanks as they traverse the tap 11, and it will thus be seen that the operation is continuous without. requiring a reverse movement of the nuts upon the tap in order to clear them from the latter after the threading operation has been completed, whereby as a result of this construction and mode of operation the work is quickly and economically performed and Vthe cost of tapping nut-blanks is reduced to hence the nu t-blank driver 7 is slowly rotated,

thereby enabling the attendant when such action is required to adjust the nut-blanks, so that their entry into the guide 7' of driver 7 will be assured; Tap 11 in the form illustrated has its lower threaded portion of uniform diameter, and hence the threading of the nut-blanks is effected mainly by the upper end portion of said tap. Driver 7 terminates at its lower end about in the plane of the last threaded section of the tap, or is of such relative length that the threaded nuts may readily clear themselves from the active or threading portion of the tap. ,It will be observed that the nut-blanks confined in the guide of the driver 7 do not impose any material strain upon the tap, but rather serve to centralize it and to cooperate with the nuts upon the shank 12, confined within the guide 13 or sleeve 13', to thereby fix the position of the tap. By the construction illustrated the attendant is enabled to adjust the nuts on the shan k12 of the tap, so as to cause them readily to enter the guide 13 or sleeve 13' placed in said guide. t Y

In the operation of this mechanism nutblanks are strung upon the rod 15 and passed therefrom one after the other in successive and continuous order to the threading mechanism and out through the machine, the attendant being enabled to guide them to the parts 7 and 13 or 13' in the manner set forth, and nut-blanks upon the lower portion of the tap centralize said tap, and, acting jointly with the threaded nuts upon the tap-shank and within the guide 13 or sleeve 13', hold said tap in its properposition.

In the embodiment illustrated the tap 11 and the lower terminal of the shank 12 ot said tap are angularly disposed, and being confined within the parts 7 and 13 or 13' by the nutblanks and threaded nuts they cannot move and must maintain a xed position with reference to the nut-driver 7 and the guide 13, with which they coperate.

As will be understood, the machine is entirely automatic and continuous in its operation, and it is not absolutely necessary for an attendant to guide thenut-blanks to the driver 7 or the threaded nuts to the guide 13 or sleeve 13' placed in saidguide, as these parts being of angular formation will serve automatically to guide the nuts and nutblanks. For instance, the nut-blanks gravitating on the rod 15 and the driver 7 rotating and being flared at 72 at its entrance end a corner of the lowermost nut-blank will en- IOO IIO

gage an angle of the guide 7 of said driver, and the blank will be positioned for registration with and passage through said driver. This result may likewise be effected by any ordinary and suitable driving means commonly employed inthis `and analogous machines.

While the machine is shown placed in a certain position, it is distinctly to be understood that this is immaterial, for it may be located in an upright, horizontal, or any other desired position suitable to enable it to accomplish the Work for which it is designed; and it is likewise to be understood that many changes in the form, proportion, and minor details of the parts may be resorted to Without departure from my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim isl. In a nut-tapping machine, the combination, with a threading-tool having an eX- tended shank or arm, of'tWo guides located the one transversely to the other, and so combined with the threading-tool and its shank that While nut-blanks are being threaded by the tap in one said guide, nuts carried on the shank of the tap in the other said guide operate for holding the tap in place, and means for rotating one of the guides with relation to the other guide.

2. In a nut-tapping machine, the combination, With a threading-tool having a transversely-extending shank, of two guides located the one transversely to the other, and so combined with the threading-tool and its shank that While nut-blanks are being threaded by the tap in one said guide, nut-s carried on the shank of the tap in the other guide may operate for holding the tap in place, and means for rotating one of the guides with relation to the other guide.

3. In a nut-tapping machine, the combination, with a tap and a nut-blank holder, of means for rotating one of said parts relatively to the other, and a guide through Which the thread ed blanks pass and are discharged over the shank of the tap, said blanks serving to fix and centralize the tap.

4. In nut-tapping mechanism, the combination, with a tap and with a nut-blank holder, one of said members being revoluble with reference to the other, of means whereby said tap may be sustained in operative position by the Work being operated upon by the tap.

5. In nut-tapping mechanism, the combination, with a tap, of means carried by the machine in which said tap is mounted for receiving the Work being operated upon by the tap, said Work servin g to centralize and locate the tap properly in its operative position; and a guide through which the Work is discharged over the shank of the tap.

6. In a nut-tapping machine,a tap arranged to operate upon the Work and to be held in fixed relation to the other parts of the ma- `chine solely thereby, and having the blanks fed thereto continuously and without interruption; a driver for turning the nut-blanks and adapted to hold them against lat-eral movement; and means for rotating the driver.

7. In a nut-tapping machine, the combination, with a tap having a shank adapted to receive the nuts and arranged to coperate with said nuts to steady and fix the position of said tap, of a guide disposed to receive the said shank and nuts and to coperate With said parts to hold the shank and tap in operative relation; a nut-driver; and means for rotating said driver.

S. In a nut-tapping machine, the combination, with a iiXed tap having a projecting shank adapted to receive the threaded nuts and arranged to act jointly therewith and maintain the tap in a normal position, of a guide disposed to receive the projecting end of the shank and the nuts mounted thereon and to coperate with the latter to hold the shank and tap in operative relation; a nutdriver; and mechanism for rotating said driver. Y

9. In a nuttapping machine, the combination', with a fixed tap, of a feed device coperating with the receiving end of the tap and upon which device the blanks are strung; a nut-blank driver; and mechanism for rotating said driver.

l0. In a nut-tapping machine, the combination, with a fixed tap, of a feed-rod detachably coupled to the receiving end of said tap; a nut-driver; and actuating mechanism for rotatin g said driver about the tap continuously in the same direction.

11. In a n u t-tapping machine, the combination, With a fixed tap having a curved shank to receive the nuts and adapted to coperate With said nuts and hold the tap in normal position, of a nut-blank driver for receiving the nutblanks and preventing lateral movement thereof, the nut-blanks Within said driver serving to center said tap, and means for rotating said driver.

12. In a nut-tapping machine, the combination, with atap having a laterally-projecting shank, of a guide coperatingwith such shank portion of the tap; a nut-driver; and means for rotating said nut-driver.

13. In a nut-tapping machine, the combination, with a guide, of a sleeve adj ustably applied to said guide; a tap having a shank to receive the threaded nuts and cooperating with the sleeve to hold the shank and tap in proper position; a revoluble nut-driver for receiving the nut-blan ks and adapted to hold them against lateral movement; and mechanism for rotating said driver.

14. In a nut-tapping machine, the combination, With a guide, of a tap having a curved shank passing through said guide; a feed device coupled to the receiving end of the tap; a n ut-driver; and mechanism for rotating said driver.

IOO

IIO

15. 'A nut-tapping mlachine comprising a said shaft and in mesh With the gear of Jche ro frame provided with a guide and two aingu'- lady-disposed bearings; a tap havin g a curved Shank passing into said guide; a feed device coupled to the receiving end of Jche tap; a revoluble nut-blank driver mounted` in one of said bearings and having gearing,` said driver encircling the tap; a shank journaled inV lhe other bearing; and a gear applied to nut-driver.

In testimony whereof I efx my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

ADDISON H. RIGGS.

l Witnesses:

AARON R. SHREVE, J. L. SHREVE. 

